


A Missing Book

by nfna118



Series: Filling the Gaps [5]
Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:34:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25887430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nfna118/pseuds/nfna118
Summary: Friday, March 5, 1982.Will accompanies Mike to the library so he doesn't have to endure Holly's story time alone.
Relationships: Will Byers & Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Series: Filling the Gaps [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1723810
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	A Missing Book

**Friday, March 5, 1982**

Mike plopped down at the lunch table. “Siblings,” he announced to no one in particular, “are the worst.”

Lucas nodded in solemn agreement. Will, just sitting down after Mike, narrowed his eyes. Dustin just shrugged.

“I feel you, man,” Lucas offered. “Erica’s a terror.”

“What did Nancy do this time?” Will asked cautiously.

“What?” asked Mike, confused. “No, not Nancy. _Holly_.” He drew out the name in disgust.

“So, what did Holly do?” Will persisted.

“Well, she apparently doesn’t need to sleep anymore and just cries all night. Any time I leave a toy out, she finds it and starts chewing on it. She even –” he angrily rolled up his right sleeve to reveal a bite mark on his forearm.

“Well, why did you put your arm in her mouth?” asked Dustin, smirking.

Mike glared at him. “For your information, I was minding my own business reading on the couch and Mom put her next to me, and she leaned over to see what I was doing, which I thought was kinda cute, then –” he chomped his teeth together. Will giggled. “Oh, think it’s funny, do you?” asked Mike and chomped again, close to Will’s ear.

“Mike, go away!” shouted Will, pushing him back. Dustin and Lucas just rolled their eyes.

“You know she’s teething… right, Mike?” asked Lucas.

“What? No. She already has teeth, idiot.”

“Yeah, not all of them. She’s getting her two-year-molars. Erica was a royal terror.”

“Isn’t she always a royal terror?” asked Dustin.

“Well, yeah. But, like, worse than usual.”

Mike looked aghast. “Why does she need _more_ teeth? Dustin gets by just fine!”

“Bite me,” said Dustin through a mouthful of sandwich.

“You wish you could,” Mike shot back. “But seriously?” he asked, turning to Lucas, “How long is this going to last?”

Lucas shrugged. “Months. Years, maybe.”

“Nuh-uh!”

Lucas just raised his palms. “As the resident expert here, maybe you should try showing me a little more respect.”

Mike thought about it for a moment. “Yeah… no. I’ll pass.”

Lucas flicked an M&M at him, but missed and hit Will instead.

“Ow!” Will muttered. Mike reached out and picked up the M&M from where it had settled on Will’s lap and popped it in his mouth.

* * *

“Why can’t I come over, again?” Mike asked as they biked away from school.

“My mom scheduled a doctor’s appointment, remember?”

“Dumb,” Mike sighed. “Can I bike you home at least?”

“Yeah, sure,” Will shrugged. “It’s not until 4:30, so you can grab a snack or something.”

“Sweet!”

They waved good-bye to Dustin and Lucas and made it to Will’s house about ten minutes later. They greeted Chester (Will patted his head and watched in bemusement as Mike rolled around on the floor with him) and were in the middle of a snack Jonathan had made for them when they heard Joyce’s car in the driveway.

“Will, Jonathan, I’m home!” she called as she opened the door. “Oh – hi, Mike,” she added when she saw him, trying to cover her surprise. “You know that Will –”

“Yeah, I know, Mrs. Byers. I was on my way out,” he said, stuffing the rest of the graham crackers in his mouth all at once, causing Will to snort. He clapped a hand over his mouth to keep his own graham crackers in. Joyce just shook her head as she went down the hall to find Jonathan.

“I can come over tomorrow, right, though?” asked Mike as he shoved his feet in his shoes.

“Mike!” whined Will, “You’re gonna ruin them that way!”

Mike shrugged. “My mom’ll buy me new ones. I’ve almost outgrown them anyways. So?”

“So?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Oh, uh…” Will thought for a moment. “Mom has a day shift, so not ‘till late.”

“But then you could come to my place! Wait, crap.”

“What?” Will raised his eyebrows.

“Holly has _story time_ ,” Mike groaned, rolling his head.

“So?”

“So that means Mom drags me to the library too, because apparently I ‘can’t be trusted at home’.”

“What did you do?” asked Will, narrowing his eyes.

“How was I supposed to know you weren’t supposed to microwave grapes?” asked Mike indignantly.

“I –” started Will, torn between exasperation and curiosity. “You know, maybe she’s right.”

“Traitor!” cried Mike. “You wound me!”

“So I can’t come over?”

“My mom likes you, but not enough to leave me unsupervised.”

“Wait, could I come to the library with you?”

Mike made a face. “You want to come to _story time_?”

“No… Do we have to stay there, though?”

Mike looked like a lightbulb went off in his head. “Willdred! You’re a genius!”

Will frowned, but let himself get caught up in Mike’s sudden hug. “Yeah, yeah. So what time should I get there?”

“Uh, story time’s at 10, I think, so like… 9:30?”

Will smiled. “I’ll be there.”

“You’d better, Byers,” Mike replied as he headed out the door. Will watched from the window as he hopped on his bike (narrowly avoiding tripping over his own feet) and rode off down the driveway.

* * *

**Saturday, March 6, 1982**

Mike was pacing around the basement. He’d been antsy all morning. Holly had woken him up again last night with all her wailing. Normally on a Friday night, he’d be at Will’s – or at least Will would be with him to commiserate. But, no. He had to have a stupid doctor’s appointment. What did an afternoon appointment have anything to do with a sleepover, anyways? But they’d both asked their moms, and they’d both said no, so that was that. _Stupid_. He couldn’t wait to be an adult so he could make his own rules. He kicked the sofa, but just ended up wincing as he stubbed his toe.

Nancy had been all pissy at breakfast this morning – Holly must have kept her up last night, too, plus she had gotten even more annoying ever since she had become a “big, bad eighth grader”, if that were even possible. She acted like she was better than him and pretended not to know him in public, and always took _way_ too long in the bathroom. _Like, seriously, how long does it take to pee?_ But Mom just told him it was “girl things” that he would “understand when he's older”. _Bullshit_. He almost kicked the couch again, but thought better of it at the last moment.

Anyways, he’d gotten into a shouting match with Nancy (which was totally _her_ fault, for the record), and Mom had sent him downstairs until story time. Or, well, until Will came over, which – he glanced at his watch – should be pretty soon.

A minute (well, fifty-seven seconds) later, the doorbell rang.

“Nancy, can you get that?” Karen called.

Nancy grumbled, but she evidently got the door, because Mike heard her say, “Will?”

“Will?” echoed Karen. “What are you doing here?”

 _Oh shit_. He hadn’t asked his mom if Will could come. Whatever. Parents loved Will, and his mom wasn’t any exception.

“Hi, Mrs. Wheeler,” Will’s shy voice drifted down the stairs. “Mike invited me over this morning?”

“Oh, he did, did he?” Mike could _hear_ his mom’s raised eyebrow. “Well, we’re about to go to the library, and Ted’s out on a business trip, so you’ll have to come back later – he can give you a call when we get back.”

“Um.” By now, Mike had come upstairs.

“Mom!” he interrupted. “I invited him to come to the library _with_ us!”

Karen turned around and narrowed her eyes, but decided not to tell him off for leaving the basement. “And you neglected to mention this to me?”

“Yeah. Sorry. So can he come?”

Karen pursed her lips. “If you promise to behave yourself.”

“Of course!” protested Mike.

“Yes, Mrs. Wheeler,” chorused Will.

Karen glanced over her shoulder. “Oh, I’m not worried about _you_ , honey.”

Nancy laughed as Mike’s jaw dropped in indignation. Will just smiled sweetly.

“Why don’t you boys go play in the basement until it’s time to go?” Karen asked pointedly, turning back to Mike.

“Yes, Mom,” Mike grumbled, but then brightened up. “Come on, Will!”

As they clambered down the stairs, Will spoke up. “You didn’t ask your mom?”

“I forgot, okay?’

“ _Mikeeee_.”

“Hey, it all worked out, didn’t it?”

“I guess, but –”

“Yeah, I know, I know. I don’t need a second mom.”

Will paused on the second-to-last step, putting a hand on his hip. “Michael Wheeler,” he said sternly, imitating Mrs. Wheeler, “I’ve never seen the basement so messy! You need to clean it up immediately!”

In retaliation, Mike tugged Will off-balance and they tumbled to the ground in a heap. Will looked down at Mike beneath him, pinning his arms down. Mike struggled, but failed to get his arms free. “Noodle arms,” teased Will. Mike re-doubled his efforts, but suddenly Will jumped up, dusting himself off. “Anyways!” he said after clearing his throat. “What do you wanna do?”

Mike shrugged. “Whatever, we’re leaving in like ten minutes. How was your appointment?”

Will plopped down on the couch. “I dunno, it was just a doctor’s appointment. What do you wanna know?”

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, they were bundled in the back of the Wheeler station wagon en route to the library. “Hey Mom,” Mike called forward. “Can Will and I go find some books to check out while you and Holly are in story time? We have a, uh, project for school.”

“Oh, you do? What subject?”

“Uhh…”

“History!” Will piped up. “We have to give a presentation on a famous person from Indiana.”

“Oh, that's lovely. Who are you presenting on, Mike?”

Mike shot a wide-eyed glance at Will, but Will shook his head minutely, causing Mike to relax. “I dunno yet,” he said. “That’s why we gotta research!”

Once Karen’s curiosity had been satisfied, Mike turned to whisper to Will. “Dude, you scared me! I thought we actually had a presentation for a second there!”

Will’s eyes narrowed in confusion. “What do you mean?” he whispered back. “She assigned it Wednesday, remember?” He held it together for a few moments before he burst out laughing at the look of sheer terror on Mike’s face. “Oh my god, Mike, I’m kidding!” he yelled as he dodged Mike’s flailing arms.

“Boys…” Mrs. Wheeler called back in a warning tone. Holly giggled happily in her car seat. “Do you need to come to story time after all?”

“No, Mom!” Mike shouted back, equal parts condescending and scared she might actually make them stay and listen to _Where the Wild Things Are_ or some shit.

“No, Mrs. Wheeler,” chorused Will contritely.

Once they got to the library, Mike and Will hopped out the back and raced up to the entrance. “Be back downstairs by 11!” Karen called after them. She thought Mike raised a hand in acknowledgment, but it could have just been to help balance himself as he almost tripped. She shook her head in exasperation. _Honestly, why can’t they be more like Nancy_. Will was a good influence (well… most of the time, anyways), but she worried that Mike influenced him more than vice versa.

Meanwhile, Mike and Will had made their way up to the fantasy section. Will ran his fingers over the spines of the books, breathing in their smell.

Mike frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t you ever just, like, enjoy how books smell?”

Mike just shrugged. “You know I have a terrible sense of smell.”

“Right, yeah. It really doesn’t smell like anything to you, though?”

“Uh, not really. A little musty, maybe?”

Will rolled his eyes, as his hand paused. “Hey, Anne McCaffrey has a new book out!”

“No way, really?” Suddenly Mike was right behind him, resting his chin on Will’s shoulder. “More dragons?”

Will pulled the book out from its place on the shelf and skimmed the summary. “No, it doesn’t look like it. I think it’s a new series or something.”

“Oh.” Mike sounded a little disappointed and drifted away.

Will chuckled and sunk down with his back to the stacks and opened the book. A few minutes later, Mike sat down opposite him and tapped Will’s leg with his foot. “It’s good, huh?” he asked.

“Yeah.” Will smiled slightly without looking up. “What did you end up finding?”

“Something called _The Sword of Shannara_ ,” Mike replied. “Looks like it’s got elves or something.”

“Like _Lord of the Rings_ elves?”

Mike shrugged, knocking into Will’s leg again. “We’ll find out!”

They sat in silence, reading. Will always treasured these moments, when he could just _be_ with Mike, without any pressure. Their legs stayed in contact, feet lightly hitting each other every so often, so Will could know Mike was there without having to see him.

Will was lost in the story when Mike suddenly spoke. “Oh, crap!” Will jolted in surprise and looked up to see Mike glancing down at his watch. “It’s 10:57 already!”

“Oh, no!”

“Wanna go check these out real quick? We can meet Mom at the check-out desk.”

“But won’t she be suspicious we’re not checking out books about like, Johnny Appleseed or someone?”

“Oh, right. Uhhh.”

“We can come back next week to keep reading, right?”

“You want to come again next week?” Mike sounded surprised.

“I mean, if that’s okay?” Will felt his heart speed up a little.

Mike turned to face Will directly. His whole face lit up. “Of course, Will!”

“Okay, cool.” Will smiled and turned to re-shelve his book to cover his blush.

They managed to make it down to the entrance by 11:01, but fortunately Karen and Holly were just coming up the stairs. “There you are, boys, right on time! Did you find some good books?”

“Yeah,” Mike said absently.

“So who are you going to do for your presentation?”

“Uhhh…”

“We’re still deciding between a couple people,” Will piped up. “We’ll probably have to come back next week!”

Mrs. Wheeler raised an eyebrow. “As long as it’s okay with your mom, you’re welcome any time.” Truth be told, it was much easier to enjoy story time without having to keep an eye on Mike in the corner.

Meanwhile, Will and Mike snuck a high-five in the backseat.

* * *

**Saturday, March 13, 1982**

Mike frowned as he looked at Will’s stiff back. “What’s wrong?” he asked, reaching out a hand to bump against Will’s arm. Will didn’t react, causing Mike’s frown to deepen.

“It’s gone,” replied Will, aghast.

“…what’s gone?”

“ _The Crystal Singer_!”

“The book you were reading last week?”

“Yeah!”

“Someone could have mis-shelved it?”

“I mean, I looked all around where it should be. They’d have to be pretty careless to mis-shelve it _that_ badly.”

Mike scanned the shelves himself – a couple other McCaffrey books, but no _Crystal Singer_. He kneeled down in front of the next shelf, running his finger along the spines. He heard Will sigh next to him. “You wanna go check at the circulation desk and see if it’s on the cart or something?”

“No,” said Will glumly after considering for a moment. “We don’t have that much time anyways; it’s not worth it. I’ll just find something else to read for today. Or maybe I could read along with you?”

Mike looked up to meet Will’s eyes. “I –” he hesitated. “I was gonna use it for some campaign ideas, so I wouldn’t want to spoil anything for you, y’know?” He tried to smile, but the way Will’s face fell made it difficult.

“Yeah, I get it,” Will muttered and turned away.

“Hey!” said Mike, shooting out a hand to grab Will’s leg and preventing him from wandering off. “If you really want to, you can, I just –”

Will laughed and Mike thought he saw a little life return to his eyes. “Oh my gosh, Mike, I’m _fine_. Just a little disappointed, but I’ll get over it, oh my god, Mike, what are you –” And then he collapsed to the ground, a hand over his mouth to quiet his giggles, cursing that the back of his knees was so ticklish, even through his jeans. “Stop it!” he whisper-yelled, eyes wide, once he could draw breath again.

“There’s that Byers smile,” grinned Mike, utterly unrepentant.

“You’re such a spaz.”

“But you’re stuck with me!”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

Mike pulled away and tried to make puppy-dog eyes but just managed to look slightly constipated.

“You know that doesn’t work on me, right?” Mike just kept staring. “It really doesn’t! …Ugh, fine. I get to bask in the glory of your presence.”

Mike grinned and finally stood back up, as always a couple inches taller than Will. “That’s what I thought.”

Will rolled his eyes. “Anyways, I’ll just re-read some Tolkien today; it’s not a big deal.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, Mike. Read your secret Shawna book.”

“Shannara!”

“Yeah, whatever.”

Will went and found a well-worn copy of _The Hobbit_ – how long had it been since he’d read it? – and plopped himself down in the same place as last week. Mike was deeply engrossed in his book, but absentmindedly moved one of his legs between Will’s so they were interlaced. Will tipped his foot into one of Mike’s thighs and smiled as he got lost in the world of Middle-Earth.

At 10:52, Mike leaned forward and tapped lightly on one of Will’s soles. Will made a noise in the back of his throat. “Already?”

Mike snickered fondly. “Sorry, bud.”

“Few more minutes? I’m just getting to the good part.”

“Which one? They’re all good parts!”

“They’re just getting to Rivendell!” Will whined.

Mike nodded sagely, then cocked his head. “You do remember you have it at home too, doofus?”

Will pouted. “It’s not the same!”

Mike just raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, fine, maybe it is,” Will admitted. He stretched lazily and yawned.

“Anyways –” Mike glanced sideways – “I’ll meet you downstairs. I’m gonna, uh, ask the front desk if they can hold this –” he brandished his book – “for me next week, since I can’t check it out without Mom catching on.”

Will frowned. Mike sounded like he was lying, but that sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan. “Uh, okay?”

“Cool, see you in a minute!” Mike chirped as he put out a hand to help Will up, then dashed off. _Very odd_.

Will took his time replacing his book on the shelf and took a moment to breathe in the library smell – only improved by the faint Mike smell lingering in the air – before heading downstairs. As advertised, Mike was at the circulation desk, arguing quietly with Ms. Marissa. After a minute, he walked towards Will empty-handed, a smile twitching at the corner of his lips.

“Success?” asked Will.

“No,” sighed Mike. “But the fact that it has to go on the re-shelving cart means it’s less likely someone will find it.” But the hint of a smile was still there.

“…What’s going on, Mike?” Will asked suspiciously.

“Huh? Nothing!”

Will just kept staring impassively. Mike couldn’t lie to save his life, at least not to him.

“Okay, fine, something. But it’s a surprise!”

Will rolled his eyes.

“But you’ll find out soon, I promise, okay?”

“Promise?”

“Yes! Cross my heart!”

“Okayyy.”

Just then, Mrs. Wheeler came up the stairs with Holly trailing behind. “Ready to go, boys?”

“Yep!” answered Mike.

“So have you decided who you’re presenting on yet?” she asked as they walked out to the car. Mike had run ahead since he was in some phase where he shunned raincoats and it had started drizzling while they were inside. Will’s mom had made sure he had his with him, and Mrs. Wheeler and Holly were perfectly dry under an umbrella.

“Johnny Appleseed,” he said, brightly.

“And you, Mike?” she called ahead to Mike, who was now dripping outside the locked car.

“Uh…” He trailed off. “George Washington!”

Will’s eyes bugged out, but all Mrs. Wheeler said was, “Oh, that’s nice.”

“You moron!” whispered Will, hitting Mike as they clambered into the trunk. “Indiana didn’t even exist when George Washington was alive!”

“…Oops. But hey, she bought it, right?”

“I mean, I guess. But couldn’t you think of _anyone_ from Indiana?”

“Uh, no. Can you?”

“William Henry Harrison. Benjamin Harrison. Lincoln, kind of. James Dean. Kurt Vonnegut…”

“Okay, okay, I get it! I’m just an idiot!”

Will smiled sweetly. “For once, we agree.” That earned him a well-deserved swat, but he couldn’t care less.

* * *

**Monday, March 22, 1982**

As usual, Will was the last one to get to the bike rack. It wasn’t _his_ fault he lived the farthest away and his mom always needed something last-minute. He smiled as he saw the Party gathered, then narrowed his eyes. Mike had something on his head. Maybe it was a prop for their next D&D campaign? They’d just finished one last night, though. Usually he took at least a few days off – “letting the ideas percolate”, as he phrased it. As Will coasted closer, he groaned. Mike was wearing one of those stupid cardboard party hats.

“BYERS!” he called as soon as Will was within earshot.

Will waited until he rolled to a stop. “…Hi, Mike.”

“Happy birthday!” Mike replied and tackled Will in a hug as soon as he had safely put his bike in the rack. Dustin and Lucas joined in in short order.

“Oof,” muttered Will, but sank into the hug. Once he could breathe again, he said, “You know you don’t have to make a big deal out of it, right?”

“I know,” agreed Mike. “But I want to. And I know you secretly enjoy it, no matter how much you protest.”

Will couldn’t stop the corners of his mouth from turning up into a smile as the rest of the Party laughed.

“Any big plans?” asked Lucas.

“I mean… you guys are still coming over after school, right?”

“Of course!” Mike answered immediately. “…Right?” Dustin and Lucas nodded in affirmation. “Then that’s all I need. Really.”

“You mean you don’t want –” Dustin began pulling another party hat out of his bag, garishly decorated with the words “Birthday Boy Byers” – “your special hat?”

“Oh my god, no!” yelled Will, his eyes wide.

Dustin burst out laughing. “It was worth it just for your face, Byers. Who says you get to have all the presents on your birthday?”

“Isn’t that how birthdays typically work…?”

“I mean, if you want to be all traditionalist, I suppose.”

“I… guess so, yeah?”

“Great!” said Dustin and moved to put the hat on Will’s head. “One traditional party hat coming right up!”

Will thanked his lucky stars that the bell rang at that moment. He successfully dodged Dustin’s hat offensive and headed for the doors.

“Will, wait up,” called Mike.

He turned around warily. “…What?”

But all Mike did was walk up and hug him again. “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you,” he murmured into Will’s hair.

“If it had been anyone else, I’d probably be a little annoyed, but it’s _you_ , Mike. Thank you. Really.”

“Okay,” Mike breathed softly and detached himself from Will. “I suppose I should probably take this off, huh?”

Will giggled. “Yeah, probably. Someone might think it was your birthday by accident and try to give _you_ presents.”

“On second thought…”

“Mike!”

Mike laughed as he stuffed the hat in his bag. He lightly placed his hand on Will’s back as they headed towards the school. Will stiffened, but reminded himself for the hundredth time that Troy and James were at Hawkins Middle now. They’d get some looks from other kids in their own grade, but they’d mostly learned to ignore it a while ago.

* * *

Dustin, however, had been giving him funny looks all the way to lunch. By the time they got to the cafeteria, Will had had enough. “What, Dustin?”

“You have a lunch bag.”

Will glanced down at the brown paper bag he held in his hand.

“Yeah, and?”

“You _never_ have a lunch bag,” cut in Lucas. “You always buy lunch.”

“And I’m going to buy lunch today too.”

“Then what’s in the bag?” asked Dustin.

“Shhh,” Will hissed. “I don’t have enough for everyone, okay?” Dustin’s eyes lit up.

The Party settled down at their end of the long cafeteria table. Mike, Will, and Lucas all got in line while Dustin dug into the lunch his mom had packed him. When they got back, Will was pleasantly surprised to see that his own sack had remained untouched.

“You have no idea how much self-control I’ve been exercising, Byers!” Dustin burst out when he finally returned. “You’ve achieved payback for this morning. Congratulations.”

Will grinned as he sat down. He slowly unrolled the top of the bag and peered inside before closing it again. Lucas joined Dustin in groaning as Mike and Will burst out in giggles. After a moment, Will opened the bag again and took out four cupcakes. “There was some leftover batter from the cake,” he explained, “so there wasn’t enough for the whole class, but…”

“You know I was joking earlier about getting presents on your birthday, right?” asked Dustin, his gaze fixed on the chocolate frosting.

Will let out a laugh. “I know. But you all being happy makes me happy too.”

“God, you’re such a sap,” Lucas grimaced.

Will raised an eyebrow. “So what I’m hearing is you don’t want your cupcake?” he asked as he moved to take it back.

“I didn’t say it was a bad thing!” Lucas clarified hastily, blocking Will’s hands.

“That’s what I thought.”

* * *

The boys had all biked to Will’s house after school. They’d played outside with Chester for a bit, then hung out and talked in Will’s room until Joyce got home from her shift.

“Will!” she called out in a singsong voice. Will buried his head in his hands.

“We’re in here, Mrs. Byers!” called Dustin without a hint of shame on his face. Will smacked his arm. A moment later, Joyce showed up in the doorway.

“Who’s ready for some cake and presents?” she asked excitedly. The boys’ eyes all lit up and Joyce had to quickly move aside as they barrelled out of the room. _Boys_. She knocked on Jonathan’s door as she headed back to the kitchen. “Coming!” he called as he shut off whatever loud music he had on today.

Soon, the six of them were gathered around the kitchen table as Joyce took the cake down from the top of the fridge and placed eleven candles on it. The boys chattered on as she fumbled in her pocket for her lighter, until Jonathan handed it to her from where she must have placed it on the counter. “Thanks,” she murmured, and got the candles lit in short order. “Happy birthday to you,” she started singing as she carried the cake over to the table. Everyone else joined in with gusto as Will just sat there looking awkward.

“Make a wish, bud,” said Jonathan once they’d finished. Will closed his eyes for a moment, then blew out all the candles. A smile touched the corner of his lips.

“What’d you wish for, huh?” asked Mike, elbowing him.

“Nuh-uh!” protested Lucas. “If he tells you, it won’t come true!”

“There is no basis for that assertion in the scientific literature,” protested Dustin.

Joyce took the opportunity to start cutting the cake, and the argument was quickly derailed as cake was stuffed in faces.

“Oh, Mike,” she said, as she finished passing out slices, “Your mom stopped by the store today and asked you to give her a call.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Do I have to?”

“Yes, young man! Besides,” she added with a sparkle in her eyes, “I think you’ll find it – worthwhile.”

Mike stuffed some more cake in his mouth before he got up and dialled his number.

“Hey, Mom, it’s me, Mike,” Will heard him say from the other room.

“Yeah, I’m at Will’s right now.”

“Wait – you mean – ?”

“Yeah, of course, of course! Thank you!”

“Yes, I’ll be fine,” Will could hear the eye-roll with his back turned.

“Yes, Mom. Thanks. Bye. Love you too.”

“What was that about?” asked Dustin.

“Oh, uh…” Mike hesitated. “Just something about Holly.”

“…You were thanking your mom about Holly?” deadpanned Lucas. “Somehow I doubt that.”

“Eavesdropping much?” Mike retaliated.

“It’s not his fault you talk so loud,” observed Dustin equitably. Mike just spluttered.

“So…?” prompted Lucas.

Mike rolled his eyes. “Holly has some appointment or something coming up and my mom decided I can stay home on my own for it. She just wanted to tell me before she forgot.”

“Sweet!” smiled Dustin.

Jonathan and Will shared a glance. Mike was definitely not telling the truth. Will bumped Mike’s leg with his foot.

“Tell you later,” Mike whispered, flashing his eyebrows.

Satisfied with his answer for now, Will got caught up in his cake. It hadn’t been the best-looking cake – just chocolate frosting with “Happy Birthday Will” scrawled on top in green icing – but it tasted heavenly. Just the right amount of sugar in the frosting and the perfect spongy texture and – why was Dustin reaching over the table to poke him?

“Hey, birthday boy,” he called, “Did you forget about the presents part?”

“Guys,” Will protested, “You really didn’t have to!”

“I know,” said Mike, echoing that morning. “We _wanted_ to.”

Will grumbled good-naturedly but happily accepted the box Dustin passed him. He carefully opened the wrapping paper, much to Lucas’s dismay – “Just rip it already” – to reveal –

“A Rubik’s Cube? Thanks, Dustin!” Dustin grinned back at him.

“Open mine next,” urged Lucas, pushing his present across the table.

“Hmm, I wonder what it could be,” Will pondered as he unwrapped the large, flat square with even more care, savoring the pained expression on Lucas’s face. “A record? I never would have guessed!”

He glanced over at Jonathan, who was nodding approvingly. “You have good taste, Sinclair.”

“Well, I knew he liked Bowie, and I saw this in the record store and I hadn’t heard Will rant about it, so I figured he must not have it yet.”

Will reached over to lightly punch Lucas. “Thanks,” he said, “Seriously. I can’t wait to listen to it!”

Finally, Mike slid Will a small box. He wouldn’t quite meet Will’s gaze. It was neatly wrapped, so Mike’s mom must have helped. Will took his time opening it to reveal – a cardboard box. “Nice box,” he commented. Dustin and Lucas laughed, but Mike just rolled his eyes. He opened it up and brought out – “No way!”

Mike finally looked up and, meeting Will’s sparkling gaze, smiled tentatively. “You like it, huh?” he asked shyly.

“Like it? I love it! Mike, did you make this yourself or –”

Mike snorted. “Seriously? It’d look like hot garbage if I did it.” Lucas nodded in agreement, earning a chuckle from Dustin. “Wow, okay. But the comic store sells minis, and I told them exactly what Will the Wise looks like and – you really like it? You don’t think it’s lame?”

Instead of answering, Will just reached over and hugged Mike. Mike let out a breath before he relaxed and let his hands flutter around Will. They were both a little flushed when they parted.

Joyce clucked her tongue. “Well,” she said, “Can I get a few pictures of the birthday boy before you all go home for dinner?” She caught Mike’s eyes and he nodded slightly.

“Of course!” Mike replied as he, Dustin, and Lucas all crowded behind Will’s chair while Joyce went to fetch her camera. After a few thrown elbows, they finally got themselves arranged. Jonathan just watched on in amusement, making no move to help.

After Joyce took far too many photos for Will’s taste – “That’s enough, Mom!” he whined – it was finally time for the Party to depart.

“I, uh, gotta use the bathroom,” said Mike, making a face. “I’m not sure that cake agreed with me.”

“Ha!” crowed Dustin. “It wasn’t me for once!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Mike called over his shoulder as he ran for the bathroom. “Uh, don’t wait up. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Lucas snorted. “You got it, Wheeler. Have a good, uh…” He trailed off as Mrs. Byers raised an eyebrow.

“That’s what I thought, Mr. Sinclair,” she scolded. “Now off with you before your mothers start to worry!”

They said their goodbyes at the door, and as soon as they biked off down the driveway, Mike emerged from the bathroom grinning. “So what do you wanna do?” he asked, bouncing on his feet.

Will made a face. “What? Did you even flush?”

Mike laughed. “I didn’t really need to go. I was just hiding out so they wouldn’t get jealous.”

Will still didn’t get it. “Jealous? Of what?”

“That I get to sleep over tonight!” Mike almost shouted.

“What? But it’s a –”

“Happy birthday, honey,” said Joyce, poking her head around the corner. “I worked it all out with Karen, so don’t worry about that.”

Will paused for a moment, then his eyes widened. “Oh, so _that’s_ –”

“Yep,” confirmed Mike. “That’s why she called. So?” he asked.

“…So?”

“What do you want to do?”

Will just smiled. This was turning out to be a perfect day.

* * *

Several hours later, they were stuffed with Joyce’s homemade mac and cheese (Will's favorite), they must have listened to _Baal_ at least ten times, and the Rubik’s Cube was in an unrecoverable state of disarray.

“Are you _sure_ it’s cheating to peel off the stickers?” Will whined.

“Oh my god, _yes_. I’m sure Dustin knows how to fix it. He can teach you.”

“But –”

“Butt,” repeated Mike, reaching out to kick Will’s, sending them both into spontaneous fits of laughter.

“Boys,” Joyce called down the hall, “Remember that it _is_ a school night.”

Will was about to protest when he saw Mike try to hide a yawn behind his hand. “Okay, Mom,” he yelled back.

“Come on,” he said, standing up and tugging on Mike.

“Wait,” Mike protested and started rummaging around in his backpack. “I almost forgot!” He pulled out another present.

Will’s eyes widened. “Mike! You shouldn’t have!” he said accusingly.

Mike looked sheepish. “No, I, uh, I should have,” he stuttered.

Will frowned, but unwrapped the gift. His eyes lit up when he saw the cover of _The Crystal Singer_ start to appear. He leaned over and threw his arms around Mike. “Thank you,” he said, “Really. Who knew it would be checked out for so long? I can’t wait to finish it!” He broke the hug to find Mike looking incredibly guilty. “Mike?”

“Uh.”

“…Mike.”

“So, uh, the first week wasn’t my fault. But, uh, I might have… placed a hold on it after that?”

“Mike!” screeched Will. “Why?”

“’Cause I wanted to get it for you for your birthday, you big dummy!” Mike yelled as Will started hitting him with a pillow.

“Oh.” Will rocked back on his heels. “Really?”

“Yes, really!” Mike widened his eyes, trying to look earnest. “Is that – are you mad at me?”

Will’s eyes softened as he let out a small laugh. “Of course not, Mike! Your plans might make no sense sometimes, but for some reason I like you anyway.”

Mike smiled into Will’s shoulder as he found himself in Will’s embrace again. He wished every day could be Will’s birthday.

**Author's Note:**

> With school starting back up, it will probably be a while before I post again, but never fear - I shall return! Your support and encouragement are always appreciated.


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